You better believe it…writes Michael Kuttner

Often, there are news items or events which sound so outlandish and bizarre that one tends to dismiss them as figments of imagination.

Michael Kuttner

However when it comes to Israel and Jews, no matter how farfetched something may seem at first glance, you can take it for granted that vast swathes of the media and public will fall for it. That is the sad state of affairs we face today in a world where instant lies, slanders and conspiracy theories sweep the globe in a click of a mouse. Conversely, those engaged in countering such delegitimisation also have the ability to expose, ridicule and inform a worldwide audience.

It is necessary to identify and highlight its insidious authors as well as demolishing the claims made. If left unchallenged these daily diatribes of rubbish will infect all those who come into contact with it.

Here are some recent examples.

A statement made a few weeks ago in Amman by Mr. Abbas let the cat out of the bag but the international media preferred to ignore it or its astounding implications. Speaking to King Abdullah, our much touted “peace” partner asserted loud and clear that “Jordan and Palestine are ONE nation. If that is in fact the case then what are the French and New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Murray McCully wasting their time in promoting two States for two people when by Abass’s own admission they already exist? Who needs the creation of a terror state in the midst of Israel when the Arabs in Judea & Samaria, by the PA President’s own admission, are already part of Jordan? If they are one nation then all that remains is for them to be repatriated to their homeland.

Pope Francis posed a very pertinent question the other week. He demanded to know why the railway lines to Auschwitz were not bombed. Glaringly unstated, however, was another can of worms, namely the blind eye turned towards the facilitated escape of Nazi war criminals to South America after 1945.

The Vatican has been quick to recognize a yet to be born “Palestine” and has signed accords acknowledging PA authority in East Jerusalem. Israel was only officially recognized in 1993 and the Vatican has yet to conclude a similar accord with it.

A museum in Krakow, Poland, is hosting a disgusting exhibition which depicts naked men and women playing tag in a gas chamber. Despite vehement protests and an initial promise to cancel this travesty, it has been re-opened to the public, all in the name of artistic freedom of expression. This shameful display of total insensitivity and trivialization of the Holocaust illustrates what we can expect in a few more years when there are no more survivors left.

The French Government admitted the other day that they are funding an anti-Israel NGO which in turn financed the recent Gaza flotilla. It is reported that “Plateforme des ONG Francaises pour la Palestine” received more than half a million Euros in grants from the French Government since 2010. In effect French taxpayers are contributing unknowingly towards anti Israel activities. The French Government refuses to withdraw funding despite proof that it is being used to undermine a democratic member of the United Nations.

Lufthansa has launched a new baggage policy giving travelers a free allowance of two suitcases per person (up to 23kg). It has been offered on flights to the USA, Canada, Mexico, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. Guess which country has been excluded from this deal? The airline has confirmed that Israel is not included despite many daily flights but has refused to offer any logical explanation as to why this should be. I leave you to arrive at your own conclusions.

UNESCO has struck again this week. At the urging of its Arab members it is poised to condemn Israel yet again. The crime this time? Apparently the Jerusalem light rail whose route takes it past the walls of the Old City is undermining the stability of the wall and therefore is endangering not only the wall itself but the entire Moslem character of the city! All of this is of course arrant nonsense but since when have such fantasies ever deterred those who seek to spread fallacious and malicious slanders? I spoke to an expert who deals with vibrations and he told me that before the light rail route was built, international experts were employed to test if in actual fact there could be a problem. All tests proved that there was no problem and indeed there is not. When one realizes that UNESCO is also condemning Israel for “harming the Temple Mount” and carrying out “illegal” excavations in the City of David one discerns a familiar pattern. While Islamic State and its associated barbarians destroy priceless cultural and historical sites throughout Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and Yemen, it seems that only Israel warrants condemnation and censure for fictional crimes. That is how the feverish and fetid minds of the haters work.

To round off another vintage week here are some reported pearls of wisdom.

An English actor and playwright wrote the following in the London Jewish Chronicle: “hopefully when Netanyahu is gone, a more enlightened leader will embrace the Palestinians. Even this may not end some rabid Muslims from attempting to kill us. But at least we will have the world on our side!” In what sort of universe is this guy living?

Barak Obama after learning that the Syrians are dropping chlorine gas bombs on their citizens stated: “chlorine gas is not historically a chemical weapon.”

New Zealand’s Foreign Minister declared: “both Palestine and Israel want the same thing.” Apparently Mr. McCully has not yet caught up with the fact that the Palestinian Authority is promoting terror. Take a look at this link and decide whether Abbas and the PA are indeed serious peace partners.

The PA ambassador to Chile declared: “we don’t hate Jews; they just don’t exist. The Protocols of the Elders of Zion prove that they are not a People/Nation but rather a religion which seeks to dominate and control the world”.

Outlandish and bizarre? You better believe it.

Michael Kuttner is a Jewish New Zealander who for many years was actively involved with various communal organisations connected to Judaism and Israel. He now lives in Israel where he is J-Wire’s correspondent.

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